Constant Nightmares

He couldn't sleep. The nightmares were getting worse. So, so much worse. Stumbling down from his dorm into the common room, Afonka glanced around the dark room before taking a seat on one of the couches, clutching his knees to his chest, taking deep breaths to calm down his racing heart.

Everytime he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep, he'd wake up from nightmares of Ophelia. Ever since he'd found her dead, he hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep. Groaning, he leaned back, staring blankly at a wall as he tapped his fingers against the wooden frame. He didn't think he'd ever go back to normal.

Roman burst through the door, not caring if he woke anybody up as he threw his bags down on the ground just for the sake of doing something violent. Ever since the summer, so much as being around his parents pushed him past his limit. He kicked one of the bags.

Then he noticed someone else was in the room. Roman stepped away from his luggage and looked at the figure on the couch, "Oh... I- uhh... Sorry. I didn't realize you were-" he took a step closer, just barely recognizing the face, "Afonka?"

Starting and almost falling off the couch, Afonka squawked at the sudden noise, covering his ears, beginning to shake. He couldn't - it'd been all quiet, and then that had just been shattered into a million pieces. Flashing back to the catacombs, he swallowed hard, pushing himself away from the doors, hugging himself.

Flicking his gaze up to the person talking to him, he visibly relaxed, untangling himself, trying to calm down, "Hey Roman," he smiled, glancing towards the entrance, "Did you just get here?"

Roman looked at the boy for a few moments, his face clearly worried. He felt really bad for scaring him like that, but such a reaction... it didn't seem normal. But more importantly, it seemed nothing like the hyper, happy kid he had known a year ago.

"Oh- uhh," He stammered, finally realizing that Afonka was talking to him, "Yeah. My parents just dropped me off here." He paused for a moment, debating whether or not to ask the question, "Um... How are you?"

Nodding, Afonka tried to smile up at Roman. Talking to him would at least get his mind off the catacombs and Ophelia. "How was it? Home I mean?" He probably should've went home instead of staying at school. Here he was still close to the catacombs, in walking distance. But at home he'd be miles and miles away. But he'd always need to come back. At least he had his friends here.

"Me?" Shrugging, Afonka glanced down at his socked feet. "I've been better." he said slowly in a small voice, "I don't think I've ever actually been worse." Flicking his gaze up to Roman, he tried to smile again, but it ended up looking more like a grimace.

Roman shook his head, flopping into an armchair, "Actually, things between me and my parents have been really rough lately. Ever since they've, y'know, engaged me to someone against my will." He sighed, letting out a small, tired laugh, "I did get to go hiking, though. That was fun."

He tilted his head, "Yeah, you don't look too great, either." He tried to laugh, but it quickly died off, turning into another sigh, "So what brings you down here at this ungodly hour?"

"You're getting married?" Afonka asked surprisedly, his voice echoing through the room, and tried his best not to wince noticeably, "But I thought you and Faye...." Trailing off, he shook his head, trying his best to be cheery and failing, "What'd you see on the hike?"

Shrugging, he rubbed his eyes tiredly, surpressing a yawn, "I'm not surprised. I've barely slept in months." Rubbing his hands together tiredly, he glanced over at Roman, "I can't sleep," he confessed, "Nightmares."

"We did- we are," He rubbed his eyes, "I'm working on it. I want to be with Faye forever, and Kendera really isn't too keen on marrying me either..." He stopped, not sure how much of this he was allowed to disclose.

A smirk played on Roman's features when he thought about the occurrence a couple of days ago, "Well, I had a run-in with old Feliks, and... I don't suppose you know who Karma Black is, do you?"

"Ooh, those are always fun," he said, attempting to lighten the mood, "I always get the one where I'm trapped in the Highmaster's office, and he forces me to give his pet monkey a bath." Roman shivered, "I hate monkeys, and Rusnak's nothing to scoff at either."

"Can I be invited to your wedding to Faye?" Afonka grinned at Roman, a real grin, "And you'll be invited to my wedding to Tessa." Stretching out his legs, he bounced on the couch at the idea of marrying Tessa.

"Oh, Feliks," shuddering at the mention of the bully, he reflexively glanced over towards the entrance to the dorms. He wasn't even here, and Afonka had that nagging feeling that he'd come bursting in. "I've never heard of Karma Black. Is - is she a friend of Feliks?"

Giggling softly at Roman's nightmares, he clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing how this sounded, "Sorry," he muttered, pulling his fingers away, "it's just - that's kind of funny."

"Invited? Hell, you can be my best man if you want," Roman grinned back at Afonka, "And I'd love to come." He quickly looked up as hail began rapping against the windowpane. He hoped his parents had gotten caught in it before they managed to leave the school. He knew his mother would freak if the stuff so much as touched her hair.

Roman followed the boy's gaze to door, expecting to see Feliks' taunting eyes pointed at him. He visibly relaxed once he realized there was no one there, then shook his head, trying to get the image out of his mind.

"I'm not sure. She was a friend of mine before she met Feliks, but I guess... I don't know. Point is, she's got enough fire in her to ward off even him," he laughed, "It certainly was interesting."

Roman frowned sternly, "Why do people always laugh? Seriously! Monkeys suck! They're like tiny, ugly humans. Ugh! I hate them."

"It's a plan." Afonka grinned, "I'll be your best man, and you'll be mine." Wincing at the sound of the hail against the glass, he shook his head as his heart rate suddenly sped up. He was fine. It was hail. Nothing was going to happen.

"She must be really great then." he said admiringly, "I wish I was able to do that. He scares he. Very very much."

Still laughing softly, he shook his head, "It's just - they're monkeys."

"Sounds perfect," his smile faded slightly when he saw Afonka react to the hail, giving him another worried look, but he quickly adjusted his expression. Something really bad must've happened to him.

"She is," he realized he was still wearing his winter robes and took them off, revealing the t-shirt and jeans underneath, "But she's also a little crazy and can be positively terrifying. It's probably why she's able to do intimidate him in the first place."

"Hey," he leaned in, pointing his hand-matter-of-factly, "Monkeys are evil."

"It will be." Afonka promised, bouncing on the couch, imagining weddings to get his mind off the dark thoughts that filled it. Grinning wistfully, he nodded, "It'll be perfect." Noticing Roman's expression, he glanced down at his lap. Roman as a friend - and a great one at that. He deserves to know what had happened. Promising himself that he would - at least, eventually - he nodded satisfactorially to himself.

"So, I guess it's sort of like..." Afonka began, speaking slowly as he thought, "at times she can be worse than Feliks, but she's also a nice person inside. And the niceness in her outweighs the negative." Nodding, he tilted his head at Roman, "Or something like that."

Smiling and resisting the temptation to laugh again, he asked, raising an eyebrow jokingly, "What evil things have monkeys done recently?"

Roman smiled, looking happily off into the distance, "Yeah... perfect..."

He laughed, "Then when we have kids, I'll call you their uncle." He chuckled and twirled his wand between his fingers, tossing it cheerfully in the air a couple of times and catching it, "Yeah... Once I get out of this dumb school... my life is going to be so much better..."

Roman gave Afonka a slightly surprised smile, "Yeah... that's exactly what she's like. I can't believe I never saw it, but it's so true."

"Well, I'm lucky enough not to know, but I bet they've been doing some pretty horrible things," he said, playing along, "Have you ever seen Planet of the Apes? Whoever wrote that had some sense in them."

"It'll be amazing," Afonka grinned, throwing his hands up in the air, "It'll be outside, and it'll be all sunny and - we could get married together," Eyes widening, he clapped his hands together, "A double wedding. It's gonna be so awesome."

Smiling, he nodded, "Uncle Afonka has a nice ring to it." Relaxing, he allowed himself to momentarily forget about Ophelia, at least for the moment, "I don't think the school's that bad." he said, tilting his head, "At least, when Feliks isn't around."

Beaming at Roman, he said jokingly, "Well then," he saluted the younger boy, "a congratulations is in order."

Humming softly, Afonka shook his head softly, "I've never seen it, but I bet the monkey's did terrible things to people."

"Yeah! We'll wear matching tuxedos and everything!" Roman laughed along with Afonka's enthusiasm, "Hey, who's gonna be our master of ceremonies?" Then a thought occurred to him that brought a half-stifled smile to his face, "What if we got Rusnak to do it?"

He shook his head, "No, I like the school itself... It's just," he held his wand in two hands, feeling the weight of it, "Once I'm out, I'm out. And I can get as far away from my parents and the engagement as possible."

"They did. They took over the whole human race," He sat up, talking in as serious a manner as he could manage without smiling, "Once they get their hands on magic or technology, it's over, man."

"It'll be the most amazing wedding anyone has ever seen." Afonka said, his eyes wide and sparkling. Giggling, he grinned again, "That would be so cool to have the Highmaster there! a little weird, but so totally cool."

Nodding as if he understood what Roman was going through, Afonka smiled sincerely at him, "Well if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be here." His smile fading slightly when he realized that he wasn't doing the same, he shook his head softly. He would tell Roman, just not right now.

"We'll all become their slaves," Afonka said blankly, looking around a little tearfully for the sound of monkey feet approaching, a little smile curling his lips upwards.

Roman sighed, "It'll be so amazing... it'll make all the headlines- no... It'll make history!" He laughed, leaning back in his chair.

"Thanks," he said with a sincere, and a slightly surprised, smile, "But I think I've complained about it to just about everyone I've come across." He started to chuckle about it, but it faded away once he realized the truth in the statement.

"And," he added, "If you ever want to talk about... that thing you were upset about, you totally can."

Roman couldn't help but snicker at the idea. He finally pulled himself together and forced the smile off his face, "Exactly. We should just send them back to Mars where they came from."

"We'll be famous," Afonka grinned, clapping his hands together. "and everywhere we go, people shall know our names. They'll point and cheer and be like, 'thats them! Remember that wedding?'" Sighing softly, he smiled, "It'll be amazing."

"Well, complaining to one more person won't hurt." He grinned, laughing softly.

Pausing, his flicked his gaze over to Roman, twiddling his thumbs as he thought, "Well," he began slowly. "I can tell you now if - if you want and sit and listen." Swallowing hard, he smiled weakly at the younger boy.

"Or maybe they can be sent to a farther away planet, so they can never get back here."

Roman shrugged, "Fine, I'll complain later, but you should go first. After all, you've listened to my tirade about monkeys for- what, a half hour?"

He leaned back in his chair with a warm smile, "I'm all ears."

Roman grinned wickedly, "Now that's an idea. We'll really hit those furry primates where it hurts."

Shrugging slightly, Afonka said, "But the monkey's are funny. And - and this isn't."

Nodding, Afonka leaned back, twiddling his thumbs, "So, back in October, October 15th actually, I - I was in the catacombs, and I - I found -" shaking his head, he dropped his voice to a whisper, "Ophelia Montague. She is - was - a friend of mine. And she was dead."

The smile faded off Roman's face. Afonka's words hung there in the silence, his mind scrambling to find some meaning to them. Was- was this some sort of joke?

Slowly, very slowly, they arranged themselves into some sort of meaning. He noticed that his mouth was hanging open, and closed it, biting his lip. "I.... I...." He shook his head slowly, "I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Afonka whispered, hugging himself as he looked over at Roman. "But thank you," he smiled slightly. It felt - well, he still felt absolutely terrible, but telling someone - that felt good. Because this way, someone actually understood why he was so, so messed up inside. And that at least made him feel slightly relieved.